Book Cover for Far Beyond Rubies

My book illustrator at MuseItUppublishing has been kind enough to consult me about the book cover for my novel, Far Beyond Rubies, which will be published this month. She has sent me the mock up. As soon as I have the final version I shall insert the image.

I only have 50 pages of pre-edits left for my new novel set in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart (1701-1706) to complete, but there will be a delay because the galley of Far Beyond Rubies has arrived.

At the moment I have a head cold and would like to go back to sleep. Instead I shall bundle up after breakfast, get some fresh air and if I can concentrate work on the galley.

Decluttering

I set to work this morning and finished sorting out a huge quantity of writing related and personal paperwork that dated back to 1984 when I moved into the house I now live in. I have emptied a filing cabinet with double doors and wide shelves, and arranged for a charity to collect it.


The neatly sorted paperwork etc fitted into a built in cupboard. Next, I need to sort out my office that was once the smallest bedroom in the house. I am determined to declutter the entire house bit by bit.

I've caught up with all sorts of things, and am now free to concentrate on the galley for my new novel Far Beyond Rubies which will be published this month. I also received the mockup for the book cover. Life is good in spite of a cold and a slight sore throat.

Decluttered

I set to work this morning and finished sorting out a huge quantity of writing related and personal paperwork that dated back to 1984 when I moved into the house I now live in. I have emptied a filing cabinet with double doors and wide shelves, and arranged for a charity to collect it.

The neatly sorted paperwork etc fitted into a built in cupboard. Next, I need to sort out my office that was once the smallest bedroom in the house. I am determined to declutter the entire house bit by bit.

I've caught up with all sorts of things, and am now free to concentrate on the galley for my new novel Far Beyond Rubies which will be published this month. I also received the mockup for the book cover. Life is good in spite of a cold and a slight sore throat.

Lunch at Rani

Yesterday, I intended to post a new message but ran out of energy. The contractor came in the morning and laid some new laminate flooring over area where the hearth was. The next task is to deal with a little damp seeping through one wall and redecorating the sitting room. I've decided on three shades of cream  paint. One below the dado rail, one above it and a third for the woodwork. In addition I shall make a feature of the wall where the fireplace was with wallpaper. above the dado rail.

The contractor left in time for me to clean up and dust before my guests arrive and lay the dining room table etc. We enjoyed the meal and the company.

Today I met a fellow author. We lunched at Rani, a vegetarian restuarant in Finchley (U.K.) and talked about what we are writing, editors, publishing and much more. The food was delicious. bhajias, thin sliced potatoes deep-fried in chick-pea flour batter, samosas, a curry made with paneer, (Indian curd cheese) other curries, rice and flat breads.

Now I'm making up for being lazy first thing this morning, sleeping a little later than useful, having breakfast in bed and then, before getting ready to go out, reading some of the second book, Something Dangerous, in Penny Vincenzi's wonderful trilogy, The Spoils of Time.

Far Worse Things in Life

My writing went smoothly this morning. If all goes according to plan I shall finish the pre-edits of my new novel in 7 to 10 days. Having finished working on a long chapter, I filled in and e-mailed the a cover art form for the book cover of my novel, Far Beyond Rubies, set in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart, 1702 - 1714, which will be published next month.

The rest of the day hasn't gone well. The contractor was supposed to finish his work today. The old fireplace and hearth have been removed and the wall replastered. He now needs to make good the floor and replace part of the dado rail but he hasn't turned up today.

The sitting room is full of dust, the heavy sofas have been moved and...well I could go on and on.

To make matters worse I am having guests to lunch tomorrow.

When I realised the contractor wouldn't finish today I took the leek and potato pie out of the freezer, cooked most of the food for tomorrow. All I need to do is make gravy and an apple crumble, as well as cleaning up. Hopefully the contractor will turn up to move the furniture. If not I'll have to ask my guests to help, which will be very embarassing.

It's no good getting upset, I'll have to wait and see what can be sorted out tomorrow.

The Canterbury Tales

After a busy morning I stopped at a charity shop on my way to the Health Centre to swim and enjoy the jacuzzi,sauna and steam room. I bought a secondhand copy of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, which I have been intending to re-read for a long time.

I don't have time to enjoy reading these tales for very long but I shall enjoy dipping in and out of it. So far I have read the Introduction and a little bit of the Prologue which begins:

When that April with his showres swoote (showers sweet)
The drout of March hath perced (pierced) to the roote,
And bathud (bathed) every veyne (vein) in such (licour)
Of which vertue (virtue) engendred (conceived) is the flour (flower).

Renovation, Redecorating

I am renovating and redecorating my sitting room.

Before a combination boiler was installed there was a gas fire in the sitting room. The gas fire was removed so the fireplace and the surround serve no useful purpose and take up too much room on the wall. So I have employed someone to remove it.

At the moment, the sitting room is decorated in three shades of cream. I am now considering a different colour scheme taken from my embroidered silk cushions. The background is cream, the embroidery is in apricot, pale, pale yellow and a shade of very light sage green. I am thinking of putting wall paper where the fireplace was (there are alcoves on either side), painting the rest of the walls pale pale yellow and the woodwork white.

The colour scheme would be sunshiny on cold days, and go well with the white upholstered sofas and large chair, the laminate floor and cream venetian blinds at the window.

I considered painting the room green to match the colour in the cushions but can't imagine the result.

Decisions, decisions.

This Morning

Woke up at 7.a.m. Completed the pre-edits of another chapter of my new novel. I have been looking forlornly out of the window at the cold, grey day. I knew it would be freezing cold and wet but even so hoped it would not. I'm like a child at a sweetshop window staring not at goodies but at my neglected vegetable garden, some stalwart curly kale, a little New Zealand spinach, some brussel sprout tops, a few turnips, some beetroot greens and various herbs. At this rate it will be ages until I the soil's even warm enough to plant the new potatos which I'm chitting, not to mention sowing seeds.

Cooking for Guests

Rather pleased with myself today. After I finished the pre-edits for another chapter of my historical novel I cooked for guests who will be coming this week. First I made a lot of thick cheese sauce while I cooked macaroni. When the macaroni was ready I stirred cheese sauce into it and then put it in the freezer. Next I made a leek and potato pie. I divided the remaining sauce into two, stirred the leeks into one half and the potatos into the other half, then I piled them in a pastry base and covered it with pastry. Phew! Two main dishes in the freezer. Tomorrow, I shall make an apple crumble and put it in the freezer. Preparing food in advance means that I don't cook everything on the day or days and can keep up with my writing schedule.

Rather pleased with myself today. After I finished the pre-edits for another chapter of my historical novel

Rather pleased with myself today. After I finished the pre-edits for another chapter of my historical novel

Pre-edits, Football and a Builder

A satisfactory morning so far. I completed the line edits for a chapter in my new novel, and also realised something seem contrived so I adjusted the plot to cure the problem. I've also checked my e-mails, including a very interesting one from an author who is a good friend.

The rest of the day will be busy. It's bitter cold but my eight-year-old grandson insists on playing in a football match. Don't children feel the cold? I'll look after his brother and sister and make lunch for them before we all go shopping with his mother, and they get their hair cut before they go back to school after half term.

I've just looked in my diary. The coming week will be very busy, people coming to lunch with me, the builder removing the old fireplace and mantlepiece in the sitting room and levelling the floor, lunch out with a good friend next weekend. Except for the noise and dust when the fireplace is removed I'm looking forward to it and determined to keep up with my self-imposed writing schedule.

My day

Another busy day. It started when I turned on the lap top at 6.a.m and started work on the novel I'm getting ready to submit. I completed the pre-edits for one chapter and tweaked it. I have now completed 100 pages out of 240. After I finish the pre-edits I shall read the novel from beginning to end looking for errors and making notes for the synopsis. When my synopsis and c.v. are ready I shall submit the novel. The nail biting period period will follow for about three months while I wonder if the publisher will accept it.

After I finished writing and reading e-mails I tidied the house. By then my 3 yr old granddaughter arrived with her 8 yr old brother. They got the toy farm out and really enjoyed sorting out fields, the farm yard, anmal pens etc., and a pond surrounded by artificial trees while I made a vegetable curry for lunch. Diced potatoes, peas, cubed paneer, (Indian curd cheese available from some supermarkets and Indian groceries). tomatoes and spices  I serve it with chappatis, green salad and yoghurt. Their mum joined us and we really enjoyed it as well as the pudding, mango pulp.

The worst part after cooking is clearing up but my daughter loaded the dishwasher while the three year old sat on my lap and made up stories about the pictures in Mr Nosey who gets his come uppance for being so nosey.

The rest of the day was quiet, I read, watched a corny film and am now working on the lap top again.

An author's Early Morning

More often than not I am awake by 6 a.m. when I make a cup of Rooibus tea and switch on the laptop.

By six o'clock this morning, my painful back a little better in spite of the osteopath's treatment on Tuesday, I started work.

At the moment, amongst other things, I am working on pre-edits of my new novel set in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart 1702-1714. I have highlighted the words on MuseItUppublishing's pre-edit list e.g. around instead of round as in she looked around not she looked round, toward instead of towards and as.

The pre-edits tighten the novel, and while I'm going through them I'm also tweaking it. Hopefully, I can finish a chapter a day and keep up with other commitments.

I revised a chapter, had breakfast and then checked my e-mails.

It's now quarter past ten and almost time to turn off the laptop and get on with the day until 4 p.m. when I shall review a novel, critique a chapter of another novel and get on with other 'writerly' matters.

Repercussion, Writing and Web Site

Yesterday my back hurt from my neck to the base of my spine. Ouch. Not sure whether or not to continue with the osteopath. Is this a case of no gain without pain or pain without gain. I have been treated by osteopath's in the past but have never had such violent reactions after two sessions.

To add to my problems, yesterday afternoon my laptop went into hibernation so I couldn't blog and failed to keep up with some other 'writerly' activities.

Today has been a good day. My back still hurts but not as much although I don't feel any improvement. I completed the pre-edits for Chapter Eight of another novel set in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart 1702 - 1714. My web designer Twin Technology owned by my twins sons have updated the first two pages of my website. www.rosemarymorris.co.uk. As soon as possible I shall be updating the rest of it, bit by bit.

Visited an Osteopath today

Visited an osteopath today, my back is painful, partly due to the hours I spend writing etc., on the laptop and computer. I must find time to go swimming more often and make sure I walk round the green every day.


It's my second visit to this osteopath. Last time all the muscles in my back burned on the next day, but I'm still hoping the treatment will improve my back.

Long Day

Today seems as though it has been longer than usual. I've managed to put in my eight hours writing and working on other 'writerly' matters. In addition looked after a three-year-old making play dough biscuits with her, helping her with a sticker book and doing jig saws. I spent time discussing the front garden, where I grow vegetables in two large beds, with my gardener who comes once a fortnight to do the heavy work. I also tidied up the house and went shopping before working on my new novel, answering e-mails etc. Half an hour until bedtime in which I hope to finish reading The King's Mistress by Emma Campion, an enjoyable novel about Edward IV's mistress Alice Perrers

Far Above Rubies

Yesterday there was a fault which prevented me from blogging. Today the laptop is slower than usual but it's functioning.

I'm away from home so I 've only worked on copy edits for my novel Far Above Rubies which will be published in March. As the month draws closer I'm becoming more and more excited about the book launch. The hero in Far Above Rubies is a young man who served the East India Company during Queen Anne Stuart's reign - 1702-1714.

Writing & Sore Muscles

Recently I've been spending more time than usual working on the laptop or computer. It's made my back, neck and shoulders ache and caused sore muscles, so I saw an osteopath earlier in the week and yesterday I went swimming. I have another appointment with the osteopath and have made up my mind to swim more often.

At long last the sun is shining so, after dealing with various 'writerly' matters I shall gather vegetables from my garden for lunch, probably turnips and curly kale to have with peas and a vegetable pie and gravy. I will then sow vegetable seeds in a heated propagator, and if I have time begin tidying the greenhouse

Submission to Publisher

This morning I checked and double checked my submissio and ran it through the grammar and spell check on the computer and then submitted it with the hope that the publisher will ask to read the complete novel which begins:


Chapter One

Cassio Castle – South East England

1298



Alice stumbled after the sturdy squire, who guided her from her home in Lovage village to the nearby island fortress, Cassio Castle. After ascending steep stone stairs, they trod the length of a dim corridor. The squire halted. He pointed at a massive oak door which stood ajar. “In there.”

With faltering footsteps Alice stepped across the threshold of a magnificent bedchamber furnished with a huge bed, painted coffers and many other items. She gasped for she had never imagined such luxury. Until now she only knew the two rooms in the thatched cottage she and her large family shared with the livestock they hoped would survive winter’s frozen grip. Here a log fire blazed and a blend of dried lemon balm and lavender, which she was familiar with, scented the air.